Big pickups mean big profits for automakers, especially the current crop of luxury-equipped haulers. Opulently equipped with hand-stitched leather interiors and an opulent assortment of comfort, convenience and safety features, upscale pickups start in the $50,000 range and can extend well beyond $60,000 and even $70,000 when fully loaded. Reports suggest that one out of every five pickup truck sold these days is of the luxury variety.

These are vehicles that are uniquely able to claw through mud and climb over rocks tenaciously at a job site during the week, yet clean up exquisitely for a night out on the weekend. They all come in four-door “crew cab” versions that are among the roomiest vehicles this side of a bus, and can comfortably accommodate five tall-in-the-saddle adults wearing cowboy hats.

Luxury pickups are also well suited for active upscale families who frequently tow a boat or trailer to the lake or campsite, or who carry dirt bikes and other sports equipment, but want to avoid soling the carpeted cargo hold of an expensive SUV.

Full-size pickup trucks are the sole market segment in which the domestic “Big Three” automakers still dominate. Ford latched onto the notion of a luxury pickup truck back in 2000 with a Harley-Davidson edition of its F-150. For 2019 the automaker offers the sales-leading F-150 in no fewer than three upscale varieties. These include the western-themed King Ranch, and the dressier Limited, and Platinum trim levels. For its part, Chevrolet offers the Silverado 1500 in High Country trim, the Sierra 1500 comes in top-shelf Denali versions, and the Ram 1500 is available in rugged-yet-plush Laramie, Laramie Longhorn and Limited models.

The imports sell in far fewer numbers, but are still represented among posh pickups. Toyota sells its full-size Tundra in high-content 1794 and Platinum editions, while Nissan offers the Titan in fully loaded Platinum Reserve models. With the exception of the Toyota, all are also available in more capable heavy-duty half-ton (2500) and one-ton (3500) versions with nearly superhuman towing capabilities.

All feature premium leather upholstery, top-notch interior trim finishes and myriad amenities like heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel. Advanced safety systems like forward auto-braking, active cruise control and blind-spot warning have become common in this segment. The F-150 can even be fitted with inflatable rear seatbelts to help minimize damage to a passenger’s torso in a crash.

As with other vehicle classes, today's upscale pickups offer sophisticated infotainment and smartphone connectivity features. The Ram 1500 stands out in this regard with a massive 12-inch Tesla-like touch screen dominating the dashboard in its top models.

The sky is literally the limit here. The costliest open-cab vehicle sold in the U.S. is the top-of-the-line Limited Crew Cab version of the Ford F450 Super Duty pickup. It starts at $88,000, approaches the $100,000 mark when fitted with all available options, and can easily reach beyond with a few added dealer accessories. That’s Mercedes-Benz S-Class money.

We’re featuring the 11 most-expensive full-size standard- and heavy-duty pickup trucks for 2019 from each automaker’s lineup in the accompanying slide show. All prices come from Kelley Blue Book and include the mandatory destination charge.